Garment pocket with removable reinforcement and method



Dec. 4, 1962 M. J. BUCHANAN ET AL 3,055,309

GARMENT POCKET WITH REMOVABLE REINFORCEMENT AND METHOD Filed Feb. 5, 1960 2 SheetsSheet 1 MARIAN Jo RDAN BUCHANAN and BN2!) LEE BUCHANAN ATTORNEYS IN VENTORS:

Dec. 4, 1962 M. J. BUCHANAN; ET AL 3,066,309

GARMENT POCKET WITH REMOVABLE REINFORCEMENT AND METHOD Filed Feb. 5, 1960- 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS: MAE! AN JORDAN BUCHANAN 35 andBAnav LEE BUCHANAN ATTORNEYS United States Patent U 3,066,369 GARMENT POCKET WITH REMOVABLE REINFORCEMENT AND METI-IQD Marian Jordan Buchanan and Baird Lee Buchanan, both of 1596 12th St. Drive NW., Hickory, N.C. Filed Feb. 5, 196%, Ser. No. 6,912 1 Claim. {CL 2-248) This invention relates to garment pocket construction and it is the primary object of this invention to provide a novel pocket construction, and method of making the same, comprising an outer or main pocket and a reinforcing member in the form of an inner pocket or pouch I objects will appear as the description proceeds when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation of one form of the improved pccket construction with portions of the outer or main pocket broken away to expose portions of the inner pocket or reinforcing member therein;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of the main pocket shown in FIGURE 1 preparatory to placing the same in a garment, such as a pair of trousers;

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of the reinforcing member or inner pocket prior to inserting and attaching the same to the pocket body shown in FIGURES 1 and 2;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary sectional plan view taken along line 44 in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary perspective view, partially in section, showing adjacent portions of the main pocket and the reinforcing member along the point at which the chain stitching is formed and showing the same as though portions of the loop-interconnecting strand of the chain stitching has been removed from the loops of the main strand and with portions of the main strand removed from one of the two adjacent panels of the outer and inner pockets;

FIGURE 6 is an elevation of a second form of improved pocket construction with portions broken away preparatory to attaching the pocket construction to a garment;

FIGURE 7 is an elevation of a blank from which the main or outer pocket of FIGURE 6 is formed;

FIGURE 8 is a view similar to FIGURE 7, but showing the blank of which the reinforcing member or inner pocket is formed attached to the lower portion of the main pocket blank by the chain stitching;

FIGURE 9 is a perspective view of the lower portion of the blank and reinforcing member shown in FIGURE 8, but showing the blank and reinforcing member in ice the invention illustrated in FIGURES 1 through 5 has the reinforcing member or inner pocket positioned within and attached to the main or outer pocket after opposed side panels of the main pocket have been sewn together along the lower and rear curved portions thereof, and the form of the invention shown in FIGURES 6 through 10 has the reinforcing member attached to the blank of the main pocket before the lower and rear edge portions of the reinforcing member and the main pocket are sewn together.

In the first form of the invention shown in FIGURES 1 through 5, the pocket construction includes a main pocket 26) and a reinforcing member, liner or inner pocket 21. The main pocket 2% is formed from a blank of web material, such as fabric, plastic or the like, and which material is folded upon itself at 22, thus forming a pair of opposed, substantially symmetrical, side panels 23, 24.

Side panels 23, 24 are provided with respective curved lower-rear edges 25, 26 and respective upper rear edges 27, 28 which are also generally formed with a slight curvature. The lower-rear edges 25, 26 are secured together by a seam of stitching indicated at 31.. This seam 31 extends from fold line 22 inwardly of and closely adjacent the curved lower-rear edges of the panels 23, 24 and preferably terminates at a shoulder 32 formed at the juncture of the lower-rear edges 25, 26 with the upper rear edges 27, 28.

The upper rear edges 27, 28 are not interconnected in order to provide an opening for the pocket. It should be understood, however, that the portions of the panels 23, 24 adjacent the edges 27, 28 are attached to the garment along with the uppermost edges of the panels 23, 24.

Reinforcing member 21 is made from an elongated blank of suitable pliable web material which is folded upon itself, as at 35, to form a pair of opposed side panels 36, 37. As is the case with the main pocket 20, the panels 36, 37 of the inner pocket or reinforcing member 21 are also provided with curved lower-rear edges 40, 41, the configuration of which is preferably of less curvature or less radius than the curvature of the lower-rear edges 25, 26 of the panels 23, 24 of the main pocket 20 so that the lower-rear edges 40, 41 of panels 36, 37 of reinforcing member 21 substantially conform in size and configuration to the line of stitching 31 when reinforcing member 21 is inserted in the main pocket 20 as shown in FIGURE 1.

It will be noted, however, that the width of the panels 36, 37 at the extreme upper edges thereof is preferably substantially the same as the distance from the fold line 22 of main pocket 20 to the innermost point of shoulder 32, so that only a relatively small amount of material need be folded inwardly at the uppermost rear corners 'of the panels 36, 37, as at 38, in order to accommodate the line of stitching 31 and whereby the pocket liner or reinforcing member 21 is thus of maximum size without overcrowding the outer or main pocket 20 (see left-hand central portion of FIGURE 1).

After folding the blank of reinforcing member 21 substantially along line 35, a seam is formed of a row of stitching 43 which is spaced inwardly of but disposed closely adjacent to the curved lower-rear edges 40, 41 of the respective panels 36, 37. It will be noted that the line of stitching 43 extends all the way from the fold line 35 to the rear upper corner of the inner pocket or reinforcing member 21. The edges 40, 41 may be turned inward, if desired, to form a so-called French seam.

The height of the inner pocket or reinforcing member 21 should be substantially the same as the distance from the lowermost point of the line of stitching 31 to the upis not normally required because the greatest wear always occurs in the lower portions of a pocket.

After the inner pocket or reinforcing member 21 has been fabricated in the manner described and as shown in FIGURE 3, it is then inserted in the main pocket 20- as shown in FIGURES 1 and 4. Thereupon, the upper edge portions of side panels 36, 37 of reinforcing member 21 are detachably connected to the proximal surfaces of the respective side panels 23, 24 of the main pocket 20 by means of a row of manually extractable stitching 45 which, in the embodiment of FIGURE 5, is shown in the form of chain stitching. The chain stitching 45 of FIG- U'RE 5 is of a type frequently used for closing paper and cloth bags or sacks which contain sugar, grain, or other granular or powdered products. However, any type of stitching which may be readily extracted from the panels 23, 24, 36, 37 by a pulling action may be used.

, In its preferred embodiment, the stitching 45 (FIG- URE 5) is formed of two pliable strands 46, 50; i.e., a main strand or looper thread 46 and a connecting strand or pull thread 50. Strand 46 has spaced loop portions 47 which project through two or more adjacent layers of web material, which layers are adjacent portions of panels 23, 36 in FIGURE 8, for example. It is to be understood that adjacent portions of panels 24, 37 of the main pocket 20 and the reinforcing member 21, respectively, may be interconnected in the same manner as the panels 23, 36 are shown in FIGURE 5. The other strand 50 serves as a connecting strand for adjacent loops 47 and may also be termed as a pull strand, since it is readily detachable from the loops 47 of strand 46 by merely applying a pulling force to one end thereof.

It will be noted in FIGURE 5 that the connecting strand 50 is also in the form of a plurality of loops 51, there being one of the loops 51 corresponding to each of the loops 47 of the main strand 46. However, the bight of each loop 51 of connecting strand 50 encircles a corresponding loop 47 of main strand 46 and the legs of each loop 51 extend from the bight encircling one loop 47 and through the next adjacent loop 47. In other words, each loop 47 of main strand 46 has the bight of a loop 51 encircling the same and the legs of another of the loops 51 extending through the same. Thus, when the righthand free end portion of connecting strand 50 is pulled from left to right in FIGURE 5, the bight of the then endmost loop 51 merely rides over the top or outer end of the corresponding loop 47 of main strand 46 and is then withdrawn through the next succeeding loop, whereupon the same procedure occurs at each successive loop 47.

It is apparent therefore that, when the inner pocket or reinforcing member 21 becomes excessively worn or has a hole in either of the panels 36, 37 thereof, it is only necessary for a person to then pull the pull thread or connecting strand 50 and release the loops 47 therefrom,

and the inner pocket or reinforcing member 21 may then be readily pulled free from the outer pocket 20 as shown in FIGURE 5, so that the bottom of the main pocket is then intact and serves the same purpose as a new pocket.

In order to obviate accidental removal of chain stitching 45, it should be noted that the pull thread or connecting strand 50 is positioned on the exterior of the main pocket 20. Thus, only those portions of main strand 46 between the legs of adjacent loops 47 are exposed on the inner surface of the reinforcing member 21.

Second Form of the Invention As heretofore stated, the completed pocket construction of the second form of the invention, as shown in FIGURE 6, is quite similar to the completed pocket construction of the first form of the invention shown in FIG- URE 1, and the two forms of the invention differ, primarily, in the manner in which the pocket constructions are assembled. Since most of the elements of the second form of pocket construction shown in FIGURES 6 through 10 are substantially the same as corresponding 4 elements of the first form of the pocket construction shown in FIGURES 1 through 5, the second form of pocket construction shall bear thesame reference characters as the first form of pocket construction with the prime notation added, in order to avoid repetitive description.

Although the shoulders 32 of the blank, of which the second form of main pocket 20' is formed, are not as sharply defined as the shoulders 32 of the first form of pocket construction, the blanks of both forms of main pocket 20, 20 are substantially the same and may even be identical. The edge 27 of panel 23 is preferably provided with a small lateral slit 60 therein which is spaced above the respective shoulder 32', for a purpose to be later described.

In assembling the second form of pocket construction, the blank of which the pocket liner or reinforcing member 21 is formed is attached to the main pocket member in blank form before the lower-rear edges thereof are secured together. Reinforcing member 21' is preferably folded inwardly to form a hem 61 thereon, whereupon reinforcing member 21' is secured, while in blank form, to the inner surfaces of the panels 23', 24 by the line of manually extractable stitching or chain stitching 45, which stitching may terminate a relatively short distance from the extreme distal edges of the reinforcing member 21 as shown in FIGURE 8. It will also be noted that the reinforcing member 21, in blank form is then spaced above and inwardly of the lower-rear edges 2'5, 26 of the main pocket 20 in blank form. The upper edge of reinforcing member 21 may also be provided with a hem like the hem 61 of member 21, if

desired.

Thereafter, the main pocket 20' is folded along fold line 22' so that the panels 23, 24 are disposed in overlapping relationship, as shown in FIGURE 9. In so doing, the panels 36, 37 of reinforcing member 21' are also folded over each other. The lower-rear edges 40, 41 of reinforcing member 21 are then fastened together, preferably by means of a zig-zag stitching. Of course, the lower-rear edges of reinforcing member 21 may also be secured together by a French seam or plain stitching as shown at 43 in FIGURE 3.

After the lower-rear edges 40', 41' of reinforcing member 21' have been secured together in the manner described, the interconnected uppermost corners of panels 36', 37 of reinforcing member 21 are preferably folded inwardly as shown in FIGURE 6, this being the reason why the chain stitching 45 terminates short of these corners in the step shown in FIGURE 8.

The reason Why the uppermost corners of panels 36. 37 of reinforcing member 21 are folded inwardly is so that the reinforcing member 21' may have the largest possible opening at the upper end thereof once it is secured inside the main pocket 20' and so that the reinforcing member will not be locked to the main pocket when the stitching 31' is formed. After the upper rear corners of panels 36', 37 of reinforcing member 21 have been folded inwardly in the manner described, the lower-rear edges 25', 26' of main pocket 20' are secured together as shown in FIGURE 6, preferably by means of zig-zag stitching indicated at 31'. It will be noted that the stitching 31' in the second form of the pocket construction extends upwardly substantially beyond the shoulders 32 and beyond the slit 60. However, the portion of main pocket adjacent edge 27 is folded inwardly during the forming of stitching 31 so the stitching 31 may extend upwardly beyond the corresponding portion of panel 23' therebeneath and so that its upper terminal portion is then formed only on the panel 24' to facilitate sewing of the pocket construction to the garment, not shown.

As is the case in the first form of the invention, the stitching 45' may be readily extracted when the reinforcing member or inner pocket 21' has become worn so that when the inner pocket 21' is removed from the outer or main pocket 20', the main pocket 20' is, in effect, a new pocket; i.e., the main pocket 20 then has the useful life of a new pocket.

In the drawings and specification there have been set forth preferred embodiments of the invention and, although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being defined in the claim.

We claim:

A garment pocket construction comprising a main pocket having a seam extending along the bottom and partially up one side thereof, an inner pocket positioned inside said main pocket and having at least its lower portion corresponding substantially in size and configuration to the lower portion of the main pocket, and chain stitching securing the upper portion of said inner pocket References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,215,834 Magliano Sept. 24, 1940 2,315,814 Reidbord et a1 Apr. 6, 1943 2,436,879 Buck Mar. 2, 1948 2,570,777 Dessauer Oct. 9, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS 769,712 Great Britain Mar. 13, 1957 

